Covid-19: France Confirms First Case Of British Virus Variant

Cat:

Related stories

Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike Ejeagha

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow...

Nigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome Warns

By Abiola Olawale Renowned constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate,...

Name National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has challenged...

Benue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports —Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has alleged...

Ozekhome Decries Judges’ Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian Courts

By Kolawole Ojebisi A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and...

France has confirmed the first case of a new coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain, its health ministry said.

The new strain of the virus, which experts fear is more contagious, has prompted more than 50 countries to impose travel restrictions on the UK.

The first French case — found in a citizen living in Britain who arrived from London on December 19 — is asymptomatic and self-isolating at home in Tours in central France, the ministry said late Friday.

They were tested in a hospital on December 21, and later found positive for the strain.

Health authorities have carried out contact-tracing for the health professionals taking care of the patient, the ministry said in a statement.

Any of their contacts that were seen as vulnerable would similarly be isolated, it said.

In addition to this first case, several other positive samples that “may suggest the VOC 202012/01 variant are being sequenced” by the specialist laboratories of the national Pasteur Institute, the statement added.

On Monday, France’s health minister Olivier Veran acknowledged it was possible the newly discovered strain was already in the country.

Italian authorities detected the new strain in a patient in Rome, while the World Health Organization reported that nine cases have been detected in Denmark and one each in the Netherlands and Australia.

Following the snap 48-hour ban this week, France had reopened its borders to the UK — partly to allow French citizens to return home, as well as to relieve the massive build-up of freight goods — but had instituted a testing policy.

France’s interior ministry said Thursday that limits on travel from the UK will continue “until at least January 6.”

For now, only citizens of France or the EU, those with residency rights there or business travelers are allowed to make the crossing from the UK, and only if they can show a negative COVID-19 test less than three days old.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the new viral strain “may be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the original version of the disease.”

Ahead of Christmas British health minister Matt Hancock announced the expansion of strict lockdown measures across further parts of the south of England to contain the spread of the disease.

With more than 68,000 deaths from the virus, the United Kingdom is one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe.

 

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike EjeaghaNigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome WarnsName National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges AliaBenue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports ---AliaOzekhome Decries Judges' Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian CourtsLeadership Lessons From AfDB's Akinwumi AdesinaTrump asks aides if they think Musk’s behavior could be related to alleged drug use, source saysVisualizing Trump’s 2026 Budget ProposalUmo Eno: Professing Love For Tinubu Without Joining APC, 'Anti-party'King Charles Recognizes Beckham's Impact, Knights Ex-England's CaptainTinubu Mourns Uwais, Says Ex-CJN 'A Phenomenal Jurist'U.S. Remittance Tax Casts Shadow Over African EconomiesAkwa-Ibom Commissioner Defies Gov Umo Eno, Resigns, Says I Can't Join Gov In APCTrump Vs Musk: JD Vance Declares Support For US President Amid Online RowExclusive: Inside Details Of Sanwo-Olu’s Alleged Strained Ties With Tinubu
X whatsapp